What are the important events that happened on January 8? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
January 8: Facts & Myths About This Day
January 8 is the 8th day of the year 2020 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 358 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Wednesday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is December 26, 2019 – a Wednesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 438,456 hours has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.
Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘octagon’ day.
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Capricorn is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Garnet is the modern birthstone for this month. Emerald is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 17 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 2,574 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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January 8 Historical Events
- 1297 –François Grimaldi, disguised as monk, leads his men to capture the fortress protecting the Rock of Monaco, establishing his family as the rulers of Monaco.
- 1746 –Second Jacobite Rising: Bonnie Prince Charlie occupies Stirling.
- 1838 –Alfred Vail demonstrates a telegraph system using dots and dashes (this is the forerunner of Morse code).
- 1867 –African American men are granted the right to vote in Washington, D.C.
- 1877 –Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last battle against the United States Cavalry at Wolf Mountain, Montana Territory.
- 1906 –A landslide in Haverstraw, New York, caused by the excavation of clay along the Hudson River, kills 20 people.
- 1962 –The Harmelen train disaster killed 93 people in the Netherlands.
- 1973 –Watergate scandal: The trial of seven men accused of illegal entry into Democratic Party headquarters at Watergate begins.
- 2002 –President George W. Bush signs into law the No Child Left Behind Act.
- 2004 –The RMS Queen Mary 2, the largest passenger ship ever built, is christened by her namesake’s granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.
Who were born on January 8?
- 1786 –Nicholas Biddle, American banking executive (d. 1844)
- 1788 –Pavel Kiselyov, Russian general and politician (d. 1874)
- 1896 –Arthur Ford, American medium (d. 1971)
- 1909 –Evelyn Wood, American educator (d. 1995)
- 1948 –Gillies MacKinnon, Scottish film director
- 1961 –Keith Arkell, English chess Grandmaster
- 1972 –Giuseppe Favalli, Italian footballer
- 1975 –DJ Clue, American DJ and producer
- 1982 –Gaby Hoffmann, American actress
- 1989 –Aaron Cruden, New Zealand rugby player
Who died on January 8?
- 1874 –Charles-Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, French writer and historian (b. 1814)
- 1916 –Ada Rehan, Irish-born American actress (b. 1860)
- 1918 –Ellis H. Roberts, American politician (b. 1827)
- 1956 –Jim Elliot, American Christian missionary (b. 1928)
- 1967 –Zbigniew Cybulski, Polish actor (b. 1927)
- 1970 –Georges Guibourg, French performer (b. 1891)
- 1976 –Robert Forgan, British fascist (b. 1891)
- 1991 –Steve Clark, English guitarist (Def Leppard) (b. 1960)
- 1994 –Pat Buttram, American actor (b. 1915)
- 2006 –Tony Banks, British politician (b. 1943)
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